Urban interpretations of natural habitats

Type:Undergraduate 5th year College of Architecture and Planning thesis.

Degree:Thesis (B. Arch.)

Department:College of Architecture and Planning

Abstract:

This study supports the notion that natural habitats of zoo animals can be simulated through architectonic means. The purpose being to capture the essence of the environments as opposed to artificially duplicating them.Because both animals and people are needed for a zoo to exist and the greatest concentration of people is in a city or urban environment, the zoo was designed for a prototypical urban site. This brought with it several implications in terms of zoo organization, structure, circulation, and other architectural considerations.Most of my time was devoted to experimenting with the habitats themselves in model form. I was searching particularly for organizing systems inherent in the natural environments because I felt that the building should be based on the natural proportions, enclosure, light quality, and color which exist in the animals' habitats.In an attempt to create a piece of architecture from this study, I looked at various ways of assembling the environments. Because of the complexity of a zoo and the time involved, I was only able to design on a most elemental level. The form and organization of the building is generated from the idea of tree structure and natural daylight. I developed a structural system which began to articulate the zoo environment I was looking for and it provided a framework for the habitats to fit into.In conclusion the thesis is a beginning to what could evolve into a complete design with time.